The latest season of the Ranji Trophy is all set to return as 38 teams will compete outright to clinch the historic trophy. The competition with a rich history was abandoned in 2020-21 after the outbreak of Covid-19, considering health and safety as the primary concern. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has once again urged to stage the competition, with nine venues in line and 38 teams to compete in 62 days and in two phases. BCCI secretary, Jai Shah on Thursday (February 3) released a press note where he has revealed the latest plans.
“I am pleased to share that we are now truly set to resume both international and domestic cricket with full thrust. The coming months are going to be replete with cricketing action. We have waited patiently for the grip of pandemic to loosen, and the time has come for our cricketers to take centre-stage all over again,” the BCCI Honorary Secretary Jai Shah wrote in the press release.
“We have spread out the Ranji Trophy format for the 2021-22 seasons is now ready. My team at BCCI had worked closely on several models, as I had stated earlier, and the one that I am going to share now has been devised keeping several important factors in mind,” he wrote in context with the Ranji Trophy.
Format for group stages
38 teams will compete in two categories; 32 Elite category teams and six Plate category teams. The 32 Elite teams will be divided into eight groups of four, while a Plate group of six teams will consist of the rest. All the Elite teams play every other group member once at the allocated venue, with the regular points system. While teams in the Plate group will play three matches each. The entire group phase will take place before the Indian Premier League (IPL) season while the knock-out stage will take place after the premier competition's conclusion.
Knock-out phase
Seven group winners will directly qualify for the quarter-finals while the lowest-ranked group winner will play the winner of Plate group in a pre-quarterfinal. Thereby, giving chance to all teams to win the competition.
Key dates and venues
February 10 to March 15 - Group Stage with 57 matches
May 30 to June 26 - Knock-out stage with 7 matches
Elite matches’ venue - Rajkot, Cuttack, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Delhi, Haryana and Guwahati
Plate league venue - Kolkata
